1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to hand tool construction, and more particularly to lightweight non-conductive corrosion-resistant hand tools having water buoyant characteristics for use by fishermen and boaters and others using such tools in the vicinity of water and/or electricity.
2. Description of Related Art
Boaters and fishermen and others who use hand tools in the vicinity of water are notorious for dropping hand tools irretrievably into the water. If the tool happens to be fabricated of metallic material, magnets may be used at the end of a long flexible line to afford some chance of retrieval. Additionally, use of metallic hand tools around salt water will quickly cause substantial, detrimental corrosion in the form of surface rust on such hand tools.
A broader concern for users of such hand tools is with respect to the presence of water on the ground or floor surface or carelessness while using a conductive hand tool around sources of electric power and energized wiring and connectors therefor.
To address the issue of buoyancy in water, Kreitz teaches a set of floating pliers in U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,523 wherein a block of closed cell polymeric foam is inserted between the handle portions of the lever members to provide sufficient flotation to render the pliers buoyant and also to provide a resilient automatic jaw opening mechanism during use.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,077, Moffitt discloses floating, non-conductive hand tools in the form of pliers or channel locks which utilize non-conductive lever members pivotally connected together. Water buoyancy is achieved either by entrapping gas or air within a sealed airtight hollow cavity formed within the handle portion of each lever member by special manufacturing methods and apparatus and/or by providing a closed-bottomed sheathing material having a low density substantially below that of water fitted over the end of the handle portion of each lever member. A further enhancement of that disclosure by Moffitt is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,518 which additionally teaches wear resistant removable jaw members and a line cutter interconnected to one of the handle portions of one lever member thereof.
Pliers made from a plastic material are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,450 invented by Ygfors whose basic object is to produce pliers suitable for picking up small objects.
The present invention discloses light weight non-conductive, substantially non-corrosive water buoyant hand tools which achieves water buoyancy through the cooperative effects of an elongated low density sleeve open at each end thereof and fitted over the handle portions of each lever member to sealingly enclose one or more open air cavities formed in outwardly opening fashion into each handle portion.